High-paying jobs with the lowest entry requirements
Jobs you can typically enter with a high school diploma or less, no experience and little training, ranked by BLS median pay.
Measured by what BLS says it typically takes to get in (no degree, no prior work experience, a month or less of on-the-job training), 133 occupations qualify. The best-paid is Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining at a $74,500 median (May 2025); 11 of the 133 pay at least the $50,980 median for all occupations. “Easy” here means easy to enter, not easy work.
40 best-paid of 133 occupations
Data BLS Employment Projections entry requirements; BLS OEWS May 2025 medians.
| # | Occupation | Median annual | Typical entry-level education | On-the-job training | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining | $74,500 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 5,930 |
| 2 | Transportation Security Screeners | $66,770 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 50,290 |
| 3 | Postal Service Clerks | $62,130 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 73,720 |
| 4 | Mail Carrier | $60,550 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 328,820 |
| 5 | Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders | $58,870 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 10,700 |
| 6 | Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators | $58,470 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 105,200 |
| 7 | Bridge and Lock Tenders | $57,700 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 3,040 |
| 8 | Hoist and Winch Operators | $56,450 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 2,600 |
| 9 | Cargo and Freight Agents | $52,260 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 97,670 |
| 10 | Community Health Worker | $51,850 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 61,660 |
| 11 | Animal Breeders | $51,130 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 1,330 |
| 12 | Tree Trimmers and Pruners | $50,960 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 55,160 |
| 13 | Costume Attendants | $50,400 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 6,510 |
| 14 | Carpet Installers | $50,340 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 13,780 |
| 15 | Loan Interviewers and Clerks | $50,020 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 164,790 |
| 16 | Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors | $49,690 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 147,240 |
| 17 | Word Processors and Typists | $49,280 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 35,010 |
| 18 | Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall | $49,120 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 44,440 |
| 19 | Pipelayers | $49,000 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 33,050 |
| 20 | Rock Splitters, Quarry | $48,740 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 3,320 |
| 21 | Models | $48,470 | No formal credential | None | 3,780 |
| 22 | Meter Reader | $48,150 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 19,430 |
| 23 | School Bus Driver | $47,920 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 402,930 |
| 24 | Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters | $47,550 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 14,170 |
| 25 | Administrative Assistant | $47,540 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 1,706,790 |
| 26 | Coin, Vending, and Amusement Machine Servicers and Repairers | $47,450 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 26,410 |
| 27 | Personal Trainer | $47,160 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 322,930 |
| 28 | Construction Worker | $47,120 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 1,096,780 |
| 29 | Correspondence Clerks | $46,800 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 4,290 |
| 30 | Parking Enforcement Workers | $46,730 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 9,050 |
| 31 | Forklift Operator | $46,420 | No formal credential | Short-term (1 month or less) | 774,420 |
| 32 | Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping | $46,380 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 53,300 |
| 33 | Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers | $45,990 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 3,020 |
| 34 | Social and Human Service Assistants | $45,930 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 437,860 |
| 35 | Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan | $45,920 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 148,060 |
| 36 | Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks | $45,260 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 816,870 |
| 37 | Office Clerks, General | $45,010 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 2,464,940 |
| 38 | Psychiatric Aides | $44,910 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 35,520 |
| 39 | Delivery Driver | $44,860 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 983,300 |
| 40 | Customer Service Representative | $44,770 | High school diploma | Short-term (1 month or less) | 2,595,750 |
With 1 to 12 months of on-the-job training
Data Same rules, but BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training.
| # | Occupation | Median annual | Typical entry-level education | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers | $96,710 | High school diploma | 33,160 |
| 2 | Signal and Track Switch Repairers | $92,460 | High school diploma | 8,720 |
| 3 | Transportation Inspectors | $92,100 | High school diploma | 24,500 |
| 4 | Transit and Railroad Police | $90,230 | High school diploma | 4,390 |
| 5 | Subway and Streetcar Operators | $86,380 | High school diploma | 10,200 |
| 6 | Roof Bolters, Mining | $78,540 | High school diploma | 2,160 |
| 7 | Chemical Plant and System Operators | $78,120 | High school diploma | 16,610 |
| 8 | Train Conductor | $78,000 | High school diploma | 46,440 |
| 9 | Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators | $77,320 | High school diploma | 3,510 |
| 10 | Police Officer | $76,210 | High school diploma | 670,520 |
What “easy to enter” leaves out
Advice
Low entry requirements say nothing about the work itself: several of the best-paid rows are physically demanding, shift-based or outdoors. Open the career page for the duties, the work context and pay in your state before you apply. For a broader list that allows a certificate or an associate degree, see the no-degree ranking.
How this page is built
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 assigns each occupation a typical entry-level education, a typical work experience in a related occupation and typical on-the-job training. Included here: education of high school diploma or no formal credential, work experience 'None', and on-the-job training 'None' or short-term (one month or less). Ranked by BLS OEWS May 2025 national median annual wage. Occupations with only an hourly median and BLS residual “all other” categories are not ranked.
- How hard the work is day to day.
- Whether a specific employer will hire without experience.
- Licensing rules in your state.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025–35 (released Aug 27, 2026; public domain): typical entry-level education, work experience, on-the-job training, projected change and annual openings.